Police make arrest in kidnapping, robbery case, two still on the loose

Published: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 08:54 AM.

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“We hope that it will stop the acts and that there won’t be any more of them to come,” he said. “That was our purpose in going in and making some charges.” The investigation is ongoing and several more interviews were in the works Wednesday, Duncan said.

He attributes Rice’s arrest to help from the public and good, old-fashioned police work. Rice, who lives at 429 S. Spargo St. in Dallas, was charged with two counts of felony conspiracy and two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon. He was booked into Gaston County Jail under a $50,000 bond.

In Rice’s first appearance in court, District Court Judge Richard Abernathy raised Rice’s bond to $500,000. Rice sighed and shook his head in response. An employee of Food Lion in Dallas, Rice was appointed a public defender.

One accuser says he forgives the suspects: Claude Burdette is one of the men who reported being taken from Flint Groves Baptist Church early Monday morning — the kidnapping with which Rice is charged. Burdette was relieved to hear the news that police had made an arrest. “It gave me peace,” he said.

Gastonia Police arrested a Dallas man and are looking for two other suspects in a string of kidnappings that took place over the weekend. Reginald Tyrone Rice, 21, faces charges only related to the kidnapping and robbery of two men Monday morning at Flint Groves Baptist Church off East Ozark Avenue. But police say the investigation is ongoing.

Two other similar kidnappings and robberies took place in Gastonia on Saturday. The men who reported the kidnappings and robberies were unharmed. Each said he was forced into a car at gunpoint and taken to ATMs, where thieves demanded money.

After that, the accusers say they were left unharmed while the two kidnappers walked away. Police now believe a third suspect was picking up the two men and dropping them off. Police are seeking a second man, as well as a third unknown person in the cases. But Gastonia Police Capt. Steve Duncan said Rice’s arrest is a positive start.

“We hope that it will stop the acts and that there won’t be any more of them to come,” he said. “That was our purpose in going in and making some charges.” The investigation is ongoing and several more interviews were in the works Wednesday, Duncan said.

He attributes Rice’s arrest to help from the public and good, old-fashioned police work. Rice, who lives at 429 S. Spargo St. in Dallas, was charged with two counts of felony conspiracy and two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon. He was booked into Gaston County Jail under a $50,000 bond.

In Rice’s first appearance in court, District Court Judge Richard Abernathy raised Rice’s bond to $500,000. Rice sighed and shook his head in response. An employee of Food Lion in Dallas, Rice was appointed a public defender.

One accuser says he forgives the suspects: Claude Burdette is one of the men who reported being taken from Flint Groves Baptist Church early Monday morning — the kidnapping with which Rice is charged. Burdette was relieved to hear the news that police had made an arrest. “It gave me peace,” he said.

Tearfully, Burdette recounted the events of that morning. On a car ride that lasted more than an hour, Burdette said he feared for his life. “Life can change just like that,” he said. “And they don’t realize that. They don’t know what they’re doing to people when they do this.”

Burdette and Tony Patterson, the other man who reported being kidnapped at the same time, walked away unharmed. But Burdette said that morning scared him. “They don’t know how we were hurt inside,” he said. “Physically, yeah, we walked away with no scratches or nothing but inside we were torn up.”

In spite of that, Burdette says he prays for and forgives Rice and the other men who might be charged.

You can reach reporter Lauren Baheri at 704-869-1842 or Twitter.com/lbaheri.